UFC on Fox Sports 1: Sonnen vs Shogun

What people forget is that Sonnen is still a world
class fighter and will always be the main event.

It is only fitting that the song "I'm Shipping Up to Boston" somehow just came on now.  Of all the songs on my 700+ song playlist, that is the one that came on right when blog writing time arrived.  The UFC is shipping up to Boston, as well as to a new channel.  Fox Sports 1 debuts with one of the best cards the UFC has ever put together.  As I said earlier in anticipation for this event, a great card does not need a title fight to cap things off.  All you need is a bunch of fighters that put on a show and leave it all in the Octagon every time they step in.  I would not want to be a fighter on this card, because every single fight has Fight of the Year written all over it.  Good luck getting a bonus check.

There are many great fights, but the fight I am most looking forward to is Pickett vs McDonald.  When it comes to underrated fights this was 1st on my list of 10.  McGregor vs Holloway comes in at 9th on my list as well.  #4 on the list is the only fight that has happened so far, and it was an incredible back and forth match.  Like I said, you have to trust me on these things sometimes.

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• This card has "Event of the Year" written all over it.  The current leader in that category was the UFC on Fox 7.  Ramsey Nijem helped contribute to that card's greatness, on the losing end of a sick KO by Myles Jury.  James Vick, who competed alongside Jury on TUF Live, will look to do the same.  Vick is one of the most inexperienced fighters on the UFC roster and will have his hands full with Nijem.  Neither man has great standup, but I think Vick could pull off the upset here.  Like I said, nobody really knows this guy and he is rather inexperienced.  But, Nijem is known for being bad at striking defense.  Vick has enough power to put Nijem to sleep.  I think Ramsey gets careless and Vick pulls tags him.  Here are your walking papers Ramsey, Vick is here to stay.  Vick 2nd round KO.
• Ovince St. Preux's last fight was just stupid.  A technical majority decision is about as indecisive as you can win a fight.  An eye poke ended the fight just seconds into the 3rd round and the judges gave him the edge.  Even though it was sketchy, I still like Ovince over Donovan.  This is the only fight on the card I could really care less about.  I think the Strikeforce veteran sneaks away from the Bellator alumnus with a split decision win.  Ovince SP via decision.
• I am going to be honest with you, I think this next fight is a no brainer.  The slight underdog Cole Miller will beat Manny Gamburyan.  Mike Goldberg is going to talk about Ronda Rousey the entire fight since she is friends with Manvel "the Anvil" and will likely be in his corner.  I am not high on Cole Miller but I still think he sinks in a submission.  Manny is just not that good in my opinion.  He lost to Aldo for the WEC title and since then has lost to two guys the UFC cut.  One is making his Bellator debut next season, and the other just lost a WSOF match to a subpar fighter.  He did win his last fight, beating Michihiro Omigawa, who is a whopping 1-6 in his last 7 fights.  Those are Tito Ortiz-like numbers, minus the quality opponents.  Manvel is just old hat at this point in his career.  Miller via armbar just to spite Ronda Rousey.

Fox Sports 1 Prelims:

• Both Diego Brandao and Daniel Pineda had losses at UFC 146, but they are still strong featherweights.  Brandao beat Dennis Bermudez to win the 14th season of TUF.  Pineda took home a Submission of the Night honor in his last fight.  Pineda has slick submissions but I think its Brandao's top game that gets the job done.  Brandao with a dominant decision win.
• The first of 3 Brown(e)s on this card will be Mike Brown.  He was the winner of the UFC 146 fight against Daniel Pineda I just mentioned.  He also has a loss to that Menvel guy I just said sucked.  Oh and he beat Urijah Faber in 2 WEC title fights.  Which Mike Brown shows up on Saturday?  Mike of old or the just ok Mike Brown that has been mediocre since losing his WEC title to pound for pound best Jose Aldo.  Siler is a bad matchup for Mike Brown stylistically.  He has a ton of submissions including triangles and guillotines from his back.  I still like Mike to take this one home though.  Brown via ground and pound TKO in the 2nd.
• "The State of Massachusetts" by Dropkick Murphys just come on my shuffle playlist, this is just weird.  I swear I only have 3 Dropkick songs on this 712 song playlist!  Even my music is pumped for fight night in Boston.  Anywho, some consider the next fight to be the main event.  Conor McGregor just commands that kind of respect.  He, like Chael Sonnen, is the main event because of his presence.  He is a hell of a fighter with the entire nation of Ireland behind him.  He just has that special factor that most fighters do not have.  He may not be Anderson Silva or Brock Lesnar when it comes to getting in the Octagon and getting a title shot after a 1-0 or 1-1 record, but he is getting a huge step up in competition with each win.  He is explosive, exciting, intriguing, and about to put on a show.  At least we think he will.  Max Holloway has other plans.  At 21 years of age, Holloway has been the youngest fighter in the UFC for a while.  He lost his UFC debut to Dustin Porier by one of the best submissions I remember, and since has gone 3-1 with 2 controversial decisions.  He is a talented prospect in his own right and will put on a tough talent for McGregor.  I have this 9th on my list of "underrated" fights upcoming, so trust me that you do not want to miss this.  Despite my hype behind this fight, "Notorious" Conor McGregor should take home another first round KO in spectacular fashion.  If you have never seen him fight, check him out here first....and here second.
• Oh and by the way, do not miss the next fight either!  Number 1 on my top 10 list is Brad "One Punch" Pickett against Michael "Mayday" McDonald.  "Mayday" comes in as a big favorite which I find odd.  Bet on Pickett people!  This is a classic example of an exciting fight that could go either way, but you win big if Pickett gets the W.  These are probably the hardest hitting 135 lb fighters on the roster.  McDonald had a huge KO win over Miguel Torres that secured him an interim title shot.  He staggered Barao in the first round and had other moments where Barao was in trouble.  He was submitted by Barao in the 4th round in that fight.  Looking to get back in the win column he takes on Brad Pickett.  Pickett also had a submission loss to Barao, losing by rear-naked choke in the first round.  He also lost to the man challenging Barao for the interim title, Eddie Wineland.  He probably needs Cruz to come back to get a title shot, or an impressive win streak against top fighters like McDonald.  He has 4 FOTN bonuses and 1 KO of the Night.  He and Dominick Cruz are the only people with wins over current Flyweight Champion Demetrious Johnson.  Both Pickett and McDonald are top 5 bantamweights and they will put on a show.  I like a split decision win for Pickett here.  (would not be surprised by a KO for either man but I think they have great chins too)

Also on Fox Sports 1 Main Card:

• Last year Joe Lauzon had 2 different fights win Fight of the Year!! Different magazines and writers basically debated which Lauzon fight was the best, and forgot about every other good fight.  He is that exciting.  He also lost last February and was victim to an incredible KO of the Night to Anthony Pettis.  Lauzon exciting whether he is bleeding all over the floor against Jim Miller, getting head kick KOed by Pettis, getting KO of the Night against Jens Pulver, or getting Submission of the Night against Varner, Guillard, Warburton, Ruediger, or Stephens.  This guy doesn't have a boring bone in his body, much like Pickett, McGregor, and so many others on this card.  His opponent Michael Johnson is on a 2 fight losing streak and has his work cut out for him on Saturday.  He has 6 of his 8 career losses via submission.  Expect fireworks and the Submission of the Night.  Lauzon via triangle armbar, gogoplata, twister, heel hook, and guillotine at the same time because he is that good at submissions. (or maybe just an armbar)
• Uriah Hall took the world by storm on The Ultimate Fighter with his nasty knockouts.  The middleweight has raw power and incredible talent.  Will it come into fruition following the show.  He kind of laid an egg in the TUF finale, despite his loss being by split decision.  He also has losses to top 10 middleweight Costa Philippou and the man who just beat Anderson Silva, Chris Weidman.  His opponent left the UFC and welterweight division after three straight losses to Jake Ellenberger, Thiago Alves, and Matt Brown.  He since has gone 6-1 with some impressive finishes.  Howard is a huge underdog, but I think he could be a big threat to Hall.  This fight does not belong on the main card over Pickett/McDonald or McGregor/Holloway, but it should prove to be entertaining.  I like Hall via vicious KO because even if he wins without a vicious KO, the fans lose.  Howard may get walking papers after a 1 fight stint in his UFC return.
• Speaking of John Howard getting kicked out of the UFC, Matt Brown is the one who sent him packing the first time.  Matt Brown and his opponent Mike Pyle are on great winning streaks and have great records lately.  I do like this fight better than Brown's originally scheduled opponent Thiago Alves.  These two will be competing for a top 10 spot in the welterweight division with this fight.  The problem they have is that their competition so far has been subpar.  I think Brown picked up momentum after his INSANE fight against Mein.  I am picking Matt Brown to be the 2nd of 3 Brown(e)s to get a win today.  Matt Brown via TKO beatdown.
• Urijah Faber is always a fan favorite, and has been unbeatable in non title fights.  However, Iuri Alcantara is no walk in the park.  Alcantara, like Faber, once competed at much heavier weight classes.  He actually is the last person to beat featherweight top contender Ricardo Lamas, a fight that happened at lightweight.  Alcantara is a sneaky guy that has nothing to lose and the world to gain with this fight.  Despite my hyping of Alcantara, Faber is just on another level.  Faber will not submit the slick Alcantara though.  Faber via hard fought and well deserved decision.  The winner of this fight should fight the winner of McDonald/Pickett in a top contender, 5 round main event fight on a future Fight Night.  They have to wait for Barao to beat Wineland, then unify the belt against Cruz before anyone will get another title shot.  As far as I am concerned, the 4 man bantamweight tournament has begun today.  Faber has basically fought everyone at 135 that matters except McDonald and Pickett so that makes perfect sense.
• Did I already give away my pick for this fight.  The Brown(e) crew will make it 3/3 on the night after the co-main event.  Travis Browne has only lost to Bigfoot Silva, a fight in which he tweaked something in his leg and was limping the entire fight.  I think he is more athletic that Overeem and a smarter fighter.  Alistair Overeem is a scary guy.  He, Bigfoot, and Kongo might be the scariest 3 guys to fight based on their physique alone.  He is not the best though.  Overeem had trouble putting away Bigfoot as well, resulting in a KO loss of his own.  He has been known to have a glass chin throughout his career.  He may be a great striker, but if he gets hit it's night night.  Overeem will get knocked out by Travis Browne.  Mark my words!  Browne is a heavy underdog so I am betting on him as well as Pickett.  This is just my opinion, but Browne has one of the smallest heads in the heavyweight division.  Bigfoot's head is 4 times bigger than this guy's head.  It is a tough target for many heavyweights.  I really think Browne will out strike Overeem or just take him down and beat him there.  Browne via 1st round TKO.
• At first I was very upset that Shogun vs Sonnen was the main event for Fox Sports 1's debut UFC broadcast.  I thought all these other exciting fights could be a better headliner.  It is a fight with little importance for Sonnen, and slight importance for Shogun.  But I have rethought that stance.  Chael is a little bit boring as a fighter due to his Fitch-like wrestling and grinding.  If Jon Fitch was as funny as Chael, he would be everyone's favorite (or least favorite) fighter instead of the hated "boring" wrestler.  Chael shouldn't have trouble taking Shogun to the ground, but Shogun is a warrior.  He has submissions even though he has only won 1 fight that way.  He has great ground sweeps to get top position.  He has powerful kicks and knees to prevent takedowns.  He has 1 thing more than most any fighter in the UFC, heart.  Shogun has been in war after war after war.  He leaves it all in the Octagon.  Many people give him crap for having poor cardio.  I disagree.  He just goes 100% for 5 rounds every time he fights.  His last 2 times in the main event he had a war with Vera that he won in the 4th and a war with Henderson that he lost via a tough decision.  Shogun will have moments on his back being beat up by Chael, but he will make this a war and have moments of his own.  Chael is a bad matchup for Shogun Rua, but this should be just another war for these two.  I think Chael struggles when he is getting hit, and Shogun will punish him for each takedown.  Shogun staggers and finishes Chael in the late rounds.  Shogun Rua via championship round TKO in comeback fashion.

Please people, do not miss these fights.  They will all be incredible.

UFC bonus predictions:

SOTN: Lauzon

KOOTN: McGregor

FOTN: Pickett/McDonald

Predictions entering event: 108/188=57.5%

No Title, No Problem

Shogun Rua and Dan Henderson show off
their battered up faces following UFC 139.

On Saturday, August 17th the UFC is kicking off the newest sports channel Fox Sports 1.  This is one of the most anticipated events of the year despite it being headlined by a very random fight.  Shogun Rua and Chael Sonnen headline one of the best cards of the year?  I am here to tell you that you do not need a title fight to put on a great show.  Here is a rewind of 10 of my favorite events, in chronological order, that do not have a title fight on the card.  Shogun has headlined 2 of my 10 top, so hopefully the trend of him being exciting continues.

1. UFC 95-Headlined by a lightweight title eliminator between Joe Stevenson and Diego Sanchez, UFC 95 had all the elements of a great card.  With exception to the first and last fight of the night, every single fight was finished and finished quick.  Two submissions and six knockouts made this an exceptional show.  Also, the Stevenson/Sanchez headliner that ended in the nights 2nd decision won fight of the night.  Anyone who missed the prelims but bought the PPV still managed to see every fight on the card.  Oh and watching someone who is awful at striking manage to somehow knock out Josh Koscheck is always hilarious to watch!
2. UFC 102-If a main event doesn't have a title on the line, it is good to at least have former champions fight. When Randy Couture and Big Nog squared off, it was a battle of the UFC's best heavyweight of all time vs Pride's legendary star.  Only a fight between Randy and Fedor would have been more epic of a fight.  Undefeated Demian Maia was knocked out in 20 seconds by Marquardt, and Todd Duffee also scored a KO in under 10 seconds.  I love to hate Leben as much as I love to hate Koscheck, and this fight had a great moment just like 95 did.  Leben was actually choked unconscious with an arm triangle choke in the third round by Jake Rosholt.  This event was quietly one of my favorite UFC events.
3. UFC 115-Chuck Liddell retired from the fight business after this event.  At least he went out in style.  He and Rich Franklin put on one of the best rounds of fighting I can remember.  It was a back and forth round of two elite strikers that was incredibly entertaining.  Rich Franklin caught chuck with a sick KO with seconds left in the round.  Oh yeah and Carlos Condit and Rory MacDonald won FOTN over them due to Condit's incredible comeback win.  It was also good to see Cro Cop get a win too.  UFC 115 is a classic despite the lack of a title on the line.
4. UFC 139-Obviously this one is on the list.  Shogun vs Henderson may be the best mixed martial arts fight of all time.  It was a 5 round main event for a title shot at Jon Jones.  That fight alone makes this event worthy to be on this list.  Throw in Wanderlei Silva's incredible come from behind KO of Cung Le and another top contender fight between Bowles and Faber and this event was sick.  Unfortunately both Faber and Henderson sustained injuries that prevented them from ever getting the title shots they earned at 139.
5. UFC 141-Lesnar vs Overeem, enough said.  Oh maybe not enough said, Jon Fitch got knocked out in 12 seconds.  Diaz and Cerrone put on a FOTN performance that was tremendously exciting.  Gustafsson and Hettes also proved to be future stars in the UFC.  Did I mention Fitch got knocked out?  I love Fitch but I could watch that video all day.  Great fights.
6. UFC on Fox 3-Nick Diaz was scheduled to go 5 rounds in the main event against Jim Miller with a title shot on the line.  He secured one of the nastiest submissions I have ever seen in this fight.  Lavar Johnson showed off his raw power.  Alan Belcher and Rousimar Palhares also put on a show while Hendricks had a great yet controversial showing against Koscheck.  The more Koscheck losses, the more I love watching.
7. UFC on FX Johnson vs McCall-The main event was a tournament semi final for the inaugural flyweight tournament.  Two great KOs and the rise of Erick Silva accompanied DJ's championship run.  This is probably the worst of the top 10 but it was still a great card.
8. UFC on Fox 4-This is probably my favorite out of all 10 of these events.  The triumphant return of Mike Swick kicked things off.  Lauzon and Varner had a battle for the ages ending in one of the craziest submissions I have ever seen.  Then Machida, Bader, Vera, and Shogun all went at it for a light heavyweight title shot.  That resulted in a spectacular KO and a main event war.  All 4 fights ended with a finish and this is a great event to get a non MMA fan to fall in love with the sport.
9. UFC 153-This event was supposed to be headlined by Jose Aldo and Erik Koch.  Koch fell out due to injury then Edgar stepped in.  Aldo eventually got injured and the featherweight title fight fell off altogether.  Big Nog and Anderson Silva stepped in to save the day.  Silva put on a spectacular show as always, Big Nog submitted a guy that didn't believe in jiu jitsu, and Jon Fitch won fight of the night. Glover Teixeira and Demian Maia also put on a show of their own.  This card fell apart completely but it was put right back together and was incredibly entertaining.
10. UFC Silva vs Stann-The first couple fights on this card were mediocre but the co-main and main event were good enough for this to make the list.  Spectacular back and forth matches between Hunt and Struve as well as Wanderlei Silva and Brian Stann made this card epic.  Stann retired shortly after the event and Wanderlei is still on the shelf waiting for his next fight.  Hunt one upped this performance against Junior dos Santos at UFC 160 in the co-main event as well.  Hunt, Struve, Stann, and Silva are four of my favorite fighters which made this fight card so exciting for me.

Honorable mention to Nogueira vs Werdum for setting the UFC submission record and being quite entertaining.  UFC on Fox Sports 1, Sonnen vs Shogun should be right up there with all of these events.  It is a can't miss event on a new network that should prove to be a UFC fans new favorite channel.  More to come about Sonnen vs Shogun later this week.

UFC 163 Recap

Phil Davis picks up a controversy win over Machida.

UFC 163 was not the best card put together by the UFC brass in 2013, but it was moderately fun.  Of all the winners and losers, it was the 125 lb division that won the most.  Easily the two best fights and basically the only FOTN candidates were the flyweight bouts featured on this card.  Oh and this Jose Aldo guy showed why I have him as the pound for pound king, and most others have him top 4.  Also an honorable mention to Brian Stann who did a great job in Joe Rogan's absence.  I love Rogan calling fights but would take Stann to partner up with Florian over Jon Anik any day of the week.  Please UFC give him the job on Fox Sports 2 fight nights to replace Anik.

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• Viscardi Andrade made quick work of Bristol Marunde in his UFC debut securing a TKO finish in under 2 minutes.
• Ednaldo Oliveira laid an egg against Francimar Barroso.  Barroso also wins his UFC debut with a decision victory.
• Rani Yahya looked impressive through two rounds, but Josh Clopton hung tough and won the 3rd.  Unimpressive win for Yahya that proved he has much work to do before he gets in the top 10.

FX for the final time :'(

• Ian "Uncle Creepy" McCall finally got that much needed first win in the UFC.  Ilarde Santos was very game and landed his fair share of shots.  Both men took home FOTN bonus checks and secured their jobs going forward.
• Sergio Moraes never stopped smiling this entire event.  His smile was well deserved when he took home Submission of the Night with a crazy mounted triangle choke of Neil Magny.
• Amanda Nunes looked like a beast using wrestling, striking, and power to make quick work of Sheila Gaff.  First round TKO for Nunes.
• I made fun of Anthony Perosh when doing my picks because he is always getting knocked out in under a minute.  He lasted on 7 seconds against Ryan Jimmo.  Vinny Magalhaes only lasted 14 seconds against Perosh.  Huge first round KO for old man Perosh, who took home a KO of the Night bonus check.

Pay-Per View:

• The other flyweight matchup between John Lineker and Jose Maria was a great fight as well.  Lineker missed weight which makes me think he is not quite ready to be a top 5 flyweight at the moment.  His power at 125 might even exceed that of John Dodson.  He is lightning quick, powerful, and composed in his fights.  Jose was able to land a spinning back fist that staggered Lineker for a moment.  But John was able to weather the storm and finish Maria in the second round.  Lineker looks incredible so far in his UFC tenure, but I noticed in his fights that he lacks the skilled footwork of the top 5 guys.  DJ, Benavidez, Dodson, Moraga, and even McCall have much better footwork than Lineker so they could be in and out in a moment on their way to beating him to a decision win.  However, Lineker is an excellent counter striker and only needs one punch to end a fight.  I would like to see power vs power in his next fight, and put Dodson against Lineker.  If Lineker is strong enough to contend with Dodson then maybe he could fight for the title after the Benavidez/Formiga winner takes on DJ.
• Thales Leites looked incredible in his return to the UFC.  He looked not only impressive, but like a potential top 10 guy in the near future.  I give full credit to Tom Watson for surviving his chokes and punches.  Watson is a guy with a granite chin who is not about to give up in any fight.  Leites was beat up by Watson pretty good, but was the clear winner anyway.  Leites via 3 round domination.
• Cezar Ferreira only needed a minute to dispose of Thiago Santos.  The TUF Brazil middleweight winner looked very impressive in securing a guillotine choke.
• Phil Davis won 29-28 on all three judges scorecards in a VERY controversial decision.  The judges all gave Lyoto the 3rd round for obvious reasons, but the fact that they gave Davis the 1st is ridiculous.  Davis got a late takedown but landed nothing on the ground.  Lyoto picked him apart the entire round with counter strikes and threw one combo that was devastating.  I am NOT a Machida fan but I think he was robbed by his hometown judges.  I was thinking during the fight that win or lose, Davis proved that he has made drastic improvement in his striking game.  He looked more well rounded, instead of just being a power wrestler.  I do not move him up in the rankings too much because I felt he lost the fight, but his stock still improved because he could at least hang with "the Dragon."  As for Machida, he is up there with Ben Henderson, Frankie Edgar, and Leonard Garcia as one of those guys that is just always part of controversial decisions.  The old Machida was the man nobody could figure out.  The new Machida is a boring counter striker that is always in a controversial decision.  He needs to get back to winning fights via KO like he did in spectacular fashion against Rashad Evans, Randy Couture, and Ryan Bader.  Davis and Machida are both in contention if they win their next fights impressively, but it seems Glover Teixeira is next in line after Gustafsson for a title shot, assuming he gets past Bader.  Oh and don't forget about that ogre Daniel Cormier, who is doing a lot of chirping to Jones but is still looking fat as ever.  Shut up DC, you have done nothing yet.  Beat Roy and lose some lbs and then we will talk.
• Sorry for my Cormier rant, here is the main event recap.  Jose Aldo actually fractured his right foot on the first kick he threw.  His kick was checked and Aldo fractured his foot on the kneecap of Jung.  Jung was more conservative than ever and rightfully so.  He felt the power of Aldo and saw his speed with counter punches and knew he had to play things intelligently.  This may not have been the exciting fight everyone expected, but it did show the world class talent of Jose Aldo.  Aldo threw 3 high left leg kicks and shortly after Chan Sung Jung's right shoulder popped out of place.  Despite being up 3-0 on rounds easily, Aldo went in for the kill and finished off the Korean Zombie in the 4th.  If you don't agree with me that this guy is more impressive than Jones, Silva, and GSP I am beginning to lose patience with you.  Frankie Edgar was the lightweight champ and was in two controversial decisions against Benson Henderson, but Aldo annihilated this guy.  He had now defended his thrown 7 times against the best fighters in the world and if he gets through Swanson and Mendes again, as well as Ricardo Lamas, there is no denying that he is the king of the MMA universe.  He is the lone Brazilian champion (unless you count interim champ Renan Barao, Aldo's prodigious training partner) and is as dominant as ever. Aldo also had 0 problems making weight this time around and is set at being a 145 champ for a few more years.  I do think that is best for him, but I also think if he wanted to he could go up to 155 and slap Henderson, Pettis, Grant, Melendez, Diaz, and the rest of the 155 lb world around as well.  Aldo could debatable go up to 170 and beat up a couple of those clowns too if I am being honest with you.  Maybe not Hendricks or GSP, but I honestly think Aldo would handle himself against Ellenberger, Condit, Kampmann and a couple other top 10 talent welterweights.  As for now he is the Brutal Sports pound for pound king and one of the scariest dudes in mixed martial arts.

My Picks entering UFC 163: 100/176=57%

Picks during UFC 163: 8/12

Pick totals: 108/188=57.5%

Award time!!!

UFC bonuses:

FOTN: McCall/Santos

SOTN: Moraes

KOOTN: Perosh

Brutal Sports Awards:

Beatdown of the Night: Leites

Sketchiest Decision of the Night: Davis/Machida

Upset of the Night: Perosh

The Cut List:

• Bristol Marunde
• Ednaldo Oliveira
• Josh Clopton
• Thiago Santos

Three Stars:

1. Jose Aldo
2. Ian McCall
3. Amanda Nunes

Why Oh Why Bellator?

Tito Ortiz is worse at retiring that Brett Favre.

Bellator MMA is an up and coming organization that looked to be on the way up going into the future.  Signing Rampage Jackson seemed like an exciting addition so he could eventually face King Mo, Emmanuel Newton, or Attila Vegh.  What Bellator will soon realize is that they made a huge error in making Rampage fight Ortiz on Pay-Per View.  Here is why Bellator messed up:

1. Rampage vs Tito is a joke:  I liked the Rampage Jackson signing for Bellator.  However, having Rampage fight Tito is a mistake.  If Rampage were to win in Bellator it would give a rebirth to a star.  If Rampage were to lose it would legitimize Bellator as an MMA organization, because they would have fighters good enough to beat a former champ.  WSOF is now legitimate because Jon Fitch lost to their premier fighter Josh Burkman.  Having him fight Tito shows Bellator is not even half as good of an organization as the UFC.  This would barely make a UFC PPV broadcast, definitely not a headliner fight.
2. Why do Pay-Per View?  One of the things that made Bellator appealing to me was the fact that it is on free TV.  I like that I can be a bum on a Wednesday night and watch two champions and King Mo fight from home on Spike.  The TV format is what makes Bellator appealing.  I am not willing to pay for a Bellator Pay-Per View, nor will I make a trip to a bar to see it.  Keep the free format going and be a network for the fans, and the fans will stay loyal.
3. Tito vs Rampage does not effect the title picture: Bellator is essentially having a non-title, non-contender fight headline their inaugural PPV event.  The light heavyweight title picture is crowded since Vegh has to fight Newton and King Mo to defend his title.  The Rampage/Tito fight is not part of the tournament format, and neither fighter will jump King Mo for a title shot.  It is basically an exhibition match of two washed up UFC veterans.
4. Random matchup: I do not understand why these two fighters and why now?  Rampage is 2-0 against Tito's nemesis Chuck Liddell and Tito is 0-2 against him.  You could argue that Tito submitted Bader and Rampage was outwrestled by him, but I think this is flat out a mismatch.  Coming in at 1-7-1, Ortiz needed to stay retired.  The only reason anyone would watch this is because people enjoy watching Tito lose.
5. Friday nights are bad for MMA: The next season of Bellator is going to take place on Friday nights.  As the UFC learned with The Ultimate Fighter, the key demographic that they appeal to is busy on Friday nights going to bars and working weekends.  I think if Bellator stuck to Thursday nights they would see more success.

Who knows, maybe I am wrong.  But as a passionate MMA fan who is looking to give Bellator, WSOF, Invicta FC, and other organizations a shot to win me over, I disagree with this move.  Bellator needs to do its own thing and not use UFC veterans to build its brand.  Strikeforce was successful with home grown talent before it was purchased by Zuffa.  Bellator could go that route as well.  WSOF can sign UFC veterans because they are trying to make money alongside the UFC, whereas Bellator is trying to directly compete with Dana White and Zuffa.  It think they are going the wrong direction and I see WSOF becoming the 2nd largest MMA organization by next year.  Stick to what got you here and you will continue to strive, Bellator.

UFC 163 Aldo vs the Korean Zombie (UPDATED!)

Jose Aldo finished Chad Mendes in the first round
last time he fought in Brazil (his only UFC finish).

UFC 163 is right up there with UFC 159 for one of the least interesting/important events of the year.  The main event is a fun one, but all fights outside of that are pretty bland.  Every time Jose Aldo fights I will watch so despite the lackluster card, I will be there to watch.  For some reason, I see a lot of these fights being finished.  Not many decisions in my predictions which I hope is true!

Facebook from Brazil:

• Ednaldo Oliveira will drop down to 205 after losing his 1st fight in his UFC debut to Gonzaga.  His opponent Francimar Barroso is making his UFC debut for this fight.  I am siding with the power of Oliveira, Ednaldo via TKO.
• Bristol Marunde will take on Viscardi Andrade in an intriguing welterweight fight.  Andrade is making his UFC debut against a man who lost his last two fights in the 3rd round.  I see that trend continuing.  Andrade makes an impressive debut and submits Marunde in the 3rd with a rear-naked choke.
• Rani Yahya may have 7 losses on his record, but most of those were to top competition.  Throw in a couple big names on his hit list such as Mark Hominick (in his prime), Eddie Wineland, and Mike Brown and you have a solid fighter with plenty of experience.  Josh Clopton is 0-1 in the UFC and will be 0-2.  As an overwhelming favorite (the biggest favorite on the card), look for Rani Yahya to finish this fight quickly.  Yahya with a north south choke.

FX:

• Iliarde Santos is another guy that is 0-1 in the UFC looking to make it 0-2.  Ian McCall is a stud despite his current 3 fight winless streak.  The flyweight champ Demetrious Johnson and 125 lb top contender Joe Benavidez were the ones who fought him to a draw and two losses.  McCall is still a top 10 flyweight and will show it against Santos.  Look for a 1st round TKO win for "Uncle Creepy."
• Neil Magny is the man who ousted Bristol Marunde from The Ultimate Fighter.  He will look to get another win against Brazilian Sergio Moraes.  This is an even matchup and could actually be a Fight of the Night candidate.  I do think Moraes will eventually take it to the ground and sink a submission in.  Moraes via RNC.
• Sheila Gaff looked awful in her UFC debut.  To be fair, Sara McMann is a tall task for any women in the UFC.  Amanda Nunes is a solid fighter who possesses finishing ability, as does Gaff.  Both fighters have seen one decision each, and both came up empty in that decision.  One of these girls will get a submission or TKO finish but I am leaning towards Gaff to do it.  TKO win for Gaff.

UPDATED!!!!!! Since reading my friend's analysis on UFC 163 prelims and looking up this video, I now am picking Nunes to win via TKO instead!!!

• In my opinion Anthony Perosh sucks and should not be a UFC fighter.  Vinny Magalhaes should have a bit of trouble sinking in a submission against a kind of slick guy on the ground.  However, I think Magalhaes will finish him with some ground and pound for a first round TKO.

The not worth the money, but worth a bar visit Pay-Per View:

• John Lineker has quickly become one of my favorite UFC fighters.  His wild fighting style and knockout power has made him one of my favorites.  Check him out here if you have never seen him before.  His opponent Jose Maria "No Chance" Tome has no chance to win.  He may have an impressive 33-3 record, but has faced nobody as talented as Lineker.  All of his losses are via submission, but I believe Lineker will take home Knockout of the Night honors with a highlight reel KO of Tome.
• Thales Leites has not been in the UFC since August of 2009.  Tom Watson won Fight of the Night and KO of the Night last time he stepped foot in the Octagon back in February of this year.  Leites has gone 6-1 in his time since the UFC but has not fought in a year and a half.  Tom Watson could be the next star from England.  I think that Leites will have Octagon return jitters as well as ring rust.  Watson is dangerous and should sneak out of this fight with a decision victory.
• I know nothing about Cezar Ferriera or Thiago Santos so I will trust Vegas odds.  Ferriera via decision.
• Phil Davis has but one loss in his mixed martial arts career and it was to Rashad Evans in a top contender match.  His fight with Machida very well could be a top contender match as well.  He has a win over current top contender Alexander Gustafsson and is a high level wrestler.  Lyoto Machida is on another level as a mixed martial artists however.  Machida will stuff takedowns with his excellent timing.  He may even time a knee when Davis goes for a shot.  Machida has not fought in Brazil since 2006, so he should be very amped up for this fight.  I think Machida will pick Davis apart and finish him with kicks and/or knees.  Machida 2nd round KO.
• There are two things in a fight that get me super excited so see how it plays out.  The first is how entertaining the fight will be.  With Chan-Sung Jung and Jose Aldo going at it, I don't have to worry about this fight being boring.  The second thing is how intriguing the matchup is.  This is a fight where the Korean Zombie just is not a threat to Aldo's title.  This will be a ridiculously entertaining fight without a doubt, but it is not an intriguing matchup.  Jung is exciting and fights at a high pace.  He will eat shots all day and keep moving forward.  He has good standup as well as a crafty ground game.  So far in his UFC career he has gone 3-0 and has won Submission of the Night twice, Submission of the Year once, KO of the Night once, and Fight of the Year once.  That is all fine and dandy, but Aldo is another animal.  He will land strikes at will against the aggressive Zombie and if Jung decides to take it to the ground, his black belt will be put to use there.  The only problem I might see Aldo having is as always, with his cardio.  Jung pushes a fast pace and has a chin that can take Aldo's best shots.  Frankie Edgar has a better chin, skill set, and pushes just as fast of a pace as Jung.  Edgar was easily routed by Aldo.  Therefore, I see no scenario that the new pound for pound best mixed martial artist on the planet can lose this fight.  Aldo via leg kick destruction on his way to a 50-45 decision, like he did to Faber.

I believe Aldo should have fought Ricardo Lamas instead of the Korean Zombie.  I would like to see the winner of this title fight take on Cub Swanson next.  Lamas should fight a top contender fight against either Mendes (if he beats Guida) or Edgar.  Aldo should eventually move to lightweight, but the 145 lb division is so deep right now that the time is not now.

My picks entering the event: 100/176=57%

Predictions for UFC bonuses:

FOTN: Jung/Aldo

SOTN: Yahya

KOOTN: Lineker

Updated Fighter Rankings (8-1-13)

Jose Aldo is the new pound for pound king in my books

I was partially joking when I said I did the last fighter rankings before UFC 162 so Silva could be on top at least 1 more time, just in case Weidman beat him.  Now that Silva lost, what is going to happen to the top of the pound for pound list?  Well Jose Aldo fights on Saturday, so he will get at least a week on top as the pound for pound king of the Brutal Sports rankings!  Here is how I rank the top 10 fighters in each weight class following UFC 162 and UFC on Fox 8:

Pound for Pound:

1. Jose Aldo (2)
2. Jon Jones (3)
3. Georges St. Pierre (4)
4. Anderson Silva (1)
5. Chris Weidman (NA)
6. Demetrious Johnson (7)
7. Dominick Cruz (5)
8. Cain Velasquez (6)
9. Ronda Rousey (8)
10. Renan Barao (9)

Dropping Out: Benson Henderson (10)

Heavyweight:

1. Cain Velasquez (1)
2. Junior Dos Santos (2)
3. Fabricio Werdum (3)
4. Daniel Cormier (4)
5. Travis Browne (5)
6. Mark Hunt (6)
7. Stipe Miocic (7)
8. Frank Mir (8)
9.  Roy Nelson (9)
10. Antonio Silva (10)

Light Heavywight:

1. Jon Jones (1)
2. Lyoto Machida (2)
3. Alexander Gustafsson (3)
4. Glover Teixeira (4)
5. Phil Davis (5)
6. Rashad Evans (6)
7. Dan Henderson (7)
8. Shogun Rua (8)
9. Gegard Mousasi (9)
10. Ryan Bader (10)

Middleweight:

1. Chris Weidman (3)
2. Anderson Silva (1)
3. Vitor Belfort (2)
4. Yushin Okami (4)
5. Ronaldo Souza (5)
6. Mark Munoz (10)
7. Michael Bisping (6)
8. Costa Philippou (7)
9. Luke Rockhold (9)
10. Tim Boetsch (8)

Welterwight:

1. Georges St. Pierre (1)
2. Johny Hendricks (2)
3. Rory Macdonald (4)
4. Demian Maia (5)
5. Carlos Condit (6)
6. Dong Hyun Kim (7)
7. Matt Brown (8)
8. Jake Ellenberger (3)
9. Robbie Lawler (NA)
10. Martin Kampmann (9)

Dropping Out: Josh Burkman (10)

Lightweight:

1. Benson Henderson (1)
2. TJ Grant (2)
3. Gilbert Melendez (3)
4. Anthony Pettis (4)
5. Michael Chandler (6)
6. Josh Thompson (5)
7. Pat Healy (7)
8. Gray Maynard (8)
9. Khabib Nurmagomedov (9)
10. Donald Cerrone (10)

Featherweight:

1. Jose Aldo (1)
2. Cub Swanson (4)
3. Chad Mendes (2)
4. Ricardo Lamas (3)
5. Chan Sung Jung (5)
6. Frankie Edgar (7)
7. Pat Curran (6)
8. Erik Koch (8)
9. Dustin Poirier (9)
10. Conor McGregor (10)

Bantamweight:

1. Dominick Cruz (1)
2. Renan Barao (2)
3. Urijah Faber (3)
4. Eddie Wineland (4)
5. Brad Pickett (5)
6. Michael McDonald (6)
7. Rafael Assuncao (7)
8. T.J. Dillashaw (8)
9. Scott Jorgensen (9)
10. George Roop (10)

Flyweight:

1. Demetrious Johnson (1)
2. Joe Benavidez (2)
3. John Dodson (3)
4. Jussier Formiga (5)
5. John Moraga (4)
6. Darrel Montague (6)
7. Ian McCall (7)
8. Louis Gaudinot (8)
9. John Lineker (9)
10. Darren Uyenoyama (10)

Women's Pound for Pound:

1. Ronda Rousey (1)
2. Cristiane Santos (2)
3. Sara McMann (3)
4. Cat Zingano (4)
5. Jessica Aguilar (5)
6. Miesha Tate (6)
7. Alexis Davis (7)
8. Sarah Kaufman (8)
9. Liz Carmouche (10)
10. Marloes Coenen(9)

Brains Before Braun

Justin Braun won the 2011 NL MVP***

Forgive the ridiculous title, I felt like being a clever journalist today.  Today I also want to talk baseball.  The steroid issue has surrounded the game of baseball for as long as I have been alive.  There are baseball greats that have asterisks by their names due to their careers being tainted by steroid talk.  Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers is the most recent player busted for abusing steroids.

The media has done a bunch of coverage on stupid aspects of the steroid issue.  "Should Braun give up his MVP?"  "I cannot believe he lied to us!" "Who else along with Braun is going to be busted?"  These are just examples of what I consider dumb media stories.  What I want to talk about is not Ryan Braun alone, but rather get to the heart of why so many people take steroids in the first place.  The answer, there is low risk and high reward.

Now Braun and A-Rod are both probably in really big trouble and will lose considerable amounts of respect for their tainted name.  But they do not lose money.  Fiscally speaking, taking steroids was the best thing that A-Rod and Braun have ever done.  They both are former MVP, high level baseball players due to their usage of performance enhancing drugs.  Even if A-Rod were to get a lifetime ban, he still was making over $25 million for the past 5-10 years.  Throw in the endorsements he has done with Pepsi and other big market names and he is raking in $30 million a year easily.  Braun is set to make $150 million between 2011 and 2020, when he signed his two big contracts.  That is just over $16 million per year.  Now since he is suspended he will lose the rest of this year's salary.  So instead of $150 million, he will only make $140 million.  You see where I am going with this?  He lost $10 million dollars because he got busted, but if he never took them in the first place he may not have made $10 million his entire life.  The bottom line is that right now cheaters are getting a slap on the wrist.  By all means give me a slap on the wrist and have half of baseball fans hate me for $100 million or more dollars.

What can baseball do to change things?  Lifelong ban!  A-Rod is potentially the first player to face such a ban.  We will see in the near future how that works out.  But if someone is thrown out of the game of baseball forever for the usage of steroids then people won't take them.  Bartolo Colon and Melky Cabrera are two people who paid their time and sat out for half a season because they were busted for steroids.  Colon is now one of the best pitchers in baseball and will receive a big contract in the offseason, like Melky just did.  These guys took PEDs and became better ball players.  They took their punishment, and now they are rich.  Kick these people out of the game.  I know this sounds extreme, but it will work.  Maybe less extreme would be a 5 year penalty or something like that.  But a 100 game suspension is nothing compared to the upside of money these professional athletes can make.

I personally guarantee A-Rod and Braun will make the Hall of Fame that Pete Rose's name will never be in.

I also would like to say that the baseball world plays dumb way too much when talking about steroids.  Jonathan Lucroy, the catcher of the Milwaukee Brewers, claims that he knew nothing about it and supports Braun through everything.  These two were close friends and teammates for a few years.  I find it hard to believe that Lucroy was left in the dark about this the entire time.  When you play 164 game together and spend that much time with each other, you develop certain bonds with players.  It is human nature for us to tell people our deepest secrets as well.  There is a 0% chance Braun has not told ANY of his teammates that he is taking steroids.  I know that nobody likes a tattle tale, but I think anonymously disclosing information could help.  OR if you are good friends and teammates, tell him to get the hell off PEDs to his face for the good of the game.  The culture of baseball needs to change.  I am one of the most competitive people on the planet, but if a teammate of mine was using steroids I would take a huge issue to that.  Even if I were on the brutal Brewers and Braun was the only man on our team worth a crap, I still would take issue to him cheating.  I could go on about this for a while, but integrity within the locker room could restore the integrity of the game.

In addition to harsher penalty including my proposed lifelong ban, there should be financial ramifications.  First off, any awards or incentives should be paid back to the team.  If there is a bonus in a contract for incentives such as "hit 20 home runs and get a million dollar bonus" they should be paid back in full.  I do think any MVP, Hall of Fame, or even team records should be reset if a player is busted for PEDs.  The player should also be liable to legal action outside of the game itself.  Any advertiser should be able to press charges against an athlete caught using steroids, such as Pepsi using A-Rod to advertise their product.  A-Rod should apologize to the public and pay Pepsi back what they gave him.

Enough about semantics.  I am sorry I like to rant and rave about specifics and how these people should be punished.  I lastly want to look at what I said in my title: "Brains Before Braun."  People need to realize that the current situation with baseball and steroids in not that.  It is currently a "brains gets you braun which gets you money" society.  Anyone with a brain knows that steroids get muscle which allows you to play better and make some serious cash.  We need a "brains before braun" attitude with baseball.  We need people to be smarter and know that the adverse affects of steroids outweigh the physical advantage you get.  The problem is, right now it's not true.  As I said with A-Rod and Braun, their lives are better off BECAUSE they used steroids.  All of my suggested ways to halt the continued use of steroids in baseball may sound extreme or crazy or stupid to some of you.  Right now baseball is so plagued by steroid problems that it needs to get extreme, crazy, and debatably stupid to fix it.  The game may never be fixed to prevent PED usage but I would like to think it can be returned to its former glory.  Fix PED usage and fix baseball.